Mick Hartley

More on that man in a dress at the army "Women in Leadership" panel at Sandhurst, in the Telegraph:

The Army is facing questions over a decision to feature a trans soldier on a panel at a “women in leadership” event.

Warrant Officer Class 2 Deborah Penny, who became the first transgender soldier to serve on the front line, took part in a discussion on “lived experience” of women in the forces during the event at Sandhurst this week.

The soldier, who has served in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan during a career spanning more than 40 years, is the Warrant Officer for diversity and inclusion in Army engagement.

Campaigners have questioned why the bomb disposal expert was given a place on the five-person panel over a biological woman, saying that WO2 Penny’s experience was “irrelevant” to women as she joined the forces as a man and served in roles which barred female soldiers.

Women remain underrepresented in the Armed Forces, particularly in positions of leadership.

Men dressed as women, on the other hand, are doing very well indeed. They're clearly the right sort of women for today's modern inclusive army.

While it has been met with some criticism, the decision to include WO2 Penny on the panel has been welcomed by senior Army figures.

Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, said that the event at Sandhurst had tried to be “progressive” by inviting a person from the trans community onto the panel.

“They have tried to be as progressive and inclusive as they can and by having someone who’s transitioned to being a woman, I think that that’s a good way of reflecting all dimensions of female point of view,” he told The Telegraph.

Except it's not a dimension of a female point of view: he's a man in a skirt. It's a matter of some concern that a senior army figure can't see that, but…here we are. They've all been Stonewalled.

Helen Joyce, the director of advocacy for campaign group Sex Matters, said the presentation was “completely irrelevant to women” as WO2 Penny “came into the Army as a man and as a man did things that women could not do”.

“It is enormously offensive to present this to women as something that is useful to their careers, they cannot do the same thing,” she said.

“It is insulting and really suggests that there aren’t any women who can be women in leadership. I think that they would have been better off not doing the event.”

She's wasting her breath. They're captured:

Last year, WO2 Penny was shortlisted for a national diversity lifetime achiever award, which noted that she “actively delivers presentations to external audiences from schools, communities and businesses to break down barriers and dispel myths about being trans, LGBTQ+ and a woman in today’s Army” and has “pioneered diversity training”.

An Army spokesman said: “The comments posted on social media regarding this individual and any amplification of it are unacceptable, and does not reflect what the Army stands for, which is a place where everyone is welcome.

“We are an inclusive employer, where every single member of our personnel is valued and they all have the right to participate in network events to support each other’s personal experiences in our service.”